Keaton Cloud has been the official fire chief at the department for just over one year. (Facebook/Town of La Ronge)

By Derek Cornet

annual report

Fire department responded to 222 calls, donated more than $100,000 in equipment in 2021

Jan 26, 2022 | 5:00 PM

The La Ronge Regional Fire Department has released its first ever annual report to the public.

“I think it’s important key stakeholders and residents know what their tax-funded fire department has been up to over the past year,” fire chief Keaton Cloud said. “We’ve had a lot of successes this past year and we wanted to share that in a summarized document.”

The fire department covers Air Ronge, La Ronge, the Lac La Ronge Indian, as well as places in the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District (NSAD) including Eagle Point, English Bay, Lamp Lake, Napatak, Nemeiben Lake, Potato Lake, Rabbit Lake and Wadin Bay. In 2021, there were 222 calls for service marking a 30 per cent increase compared to 2020.

La Ronge counted for the highest number of calls at 118, followed by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band at 47 and Air Ronge at 35. There were 54 false alarms, 37 cooking incidents and 37 non-emergency calls like needle pick ups, smoke investigations, odd smells and loud bangs. Cloud explained false alarms can also vary significantly.

“They’re typically caused by kids pulling fire alarms, residents accidently setting off their alarms from changing batteries or a buildings alarm goes off for some reason which causes us to search the building entirely for any fire,” he said.

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“Probably the best way to help reduce these calls is making sure your contact information is updated with your alarm company, because generally when an alarm goes off, the alarm company will try to reach the owners. If that fails, the alarm company calls the 911 dispatch centre and we are automatically dispatched and are required to respond.”

In 2021, the fire department also responded to 27 bush or grass fires, 26 structure fires, 11 rescues, 11 calls for hazardous materials, along with other various calls. Cloud noted he’s unsure of any specific reason for the increase in calls, adding numbers fluctuate annually and it doesn’t appear to have a consistent or concerning trend.

The department achieved a number of accomplishments in 2021 including donating more than $100,000 of equipment, upgrading local tools and equipment, and entering into a five-year emergency services agreement with NSAD. Staff implemented a new Tri-Community Emergency Plan and upgraded the Emergency Operations Centre in the fire hall.

Development has also begun on the department’s five-year strategic plan to lay the ground work for future direction within the organization.

“I’m pleased to lead a highly skilled and progressive department with professional personnel that understand the importance of respect, integrity and team work,” Cloud said.

Click here to view the La Ronge Regional Fire Department’s 2021 annual report.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno